


Heard You Said (Now Here I Say)

by SuperSilverSpy



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Adopted Fic, Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Artemis Crock Needs a Hug, Close call, Depressed Dick Grayson, Depression, Dick Grayson Angst, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson Whump, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Dick Grayson is sad, Dick Grayson-centric, Gen, Hurt, Hurt Dick Grayson, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Inspired by Hearsay, Is there such thing as too many tags?, I’m continuing someone else’s fic that’s technically finished?, Mostly hurt, Of another person’s fic, Sad Dick Grayson, SilverGrayson, SilverPart, Stabbing, Suicidal Dick Grayson, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, SuperSilverSpy, actually I think it’s, also, by, haunt_the_stars, i dunno, maybe? - Freeform, that’s it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:21:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26523592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperSilverSpy/pseuds/SuperSilverSpy
Summary: Dick laughed bitterly, “I see you were listening,” his voice, cracking. Head nodding toward the device in her hand, “You know, I didn't want to d-do this alone, it seems I'm at- at least getting this one wish. The one who blames me the most, who has every right to, here to talk me out of well deserved penance, because of some twisted s-sense of heroism.”OR an alternate ending fic for Hearsay by haunt_the_stars that I promised the author a while ago but never got around to itLink to fic is in the chappyRead that first
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Artemis Crock, Dick Grayson & Wally West
Comments: 8
Kudos: 96





	Heard You Said (Now Here I Say)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [haunt_the_stars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haunt_the_stars/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Hearsay](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12197658) by [haunt_the_stars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haunt_the_stars/pseuds/haunt_the_stars). 



> Hey all  
> Sorry I’m late  
> Again  
> School started, if that’s any excuse  
> It’s not  
> I actually have plenty of time  
> Just too many pieces of stories  
> Like, I want to write more  
> And I know each little idea has so much potential  
> I could turn every little drabble-y thing into a full blown story  
> Yeah...  
> So anyway, I asked the original asterous author if I could write a fanon divergence? Alternate ending sort of fic  
> Because wow, their idea is just so amazing and unique  
> I didn’t want to steal it, especially since everything was already set up for a perfectly angsty ending  
> The author went with a happy one  
> And hey, it was great  
> Is great  
> YOU HAVE TO READ THAT FIC FIRST  
> Otherwise it doesn’t make sense, really  
> So yeah, I couldn’t resist  
> Enjoy!
> 
> (The first bit in italics was part of the original fic, to show exactly where this one starts)

_ "I need you, Wally," Dick wails, and then he stops the message, and Artemis trips at the silence. Sprawled out on the floor, there's a brief moment when she thinks that this is happening. She's not fast enough, not good enough, not Wally. Hell, she can't remember what apartment he's in, in one last ridiculous failure. A deadly quiet fills the halls besides her footsteps running back and forth as she tries to think, but it's over. She knows it. _

_ Dick's going to die. And she'll never be able to live with herself. _

_ She leans against the wall for a breather, tears now undeniably streaming down her face. Wally's voice is berating her in her head, take care of him, you promised, you promised me! _

_ What's the damn apartment? _

_ He told her. That time they visited...he wanted to run, so she met him there...she's on the right floor, she knows it...six...six and a letter. _

_ 6-B. B for bats. She remembers. _

_ "Shit, shit..." She's not one for talking to herself, but it keeps her from breaking down as she runs down the hall to 6-B. "Please be alive." _

_ She's not one for praying either, but for a moment as she's trying the doorknob, she asks God to please, please, please let her not find a body. To give her a chance to make things right, make it up to Dick, make it up to Wally. _

_ The lock is easy to pick. Oh, Dick really is in a bad place if he hasn't upped the lock on his door...pleasedon'tbedead- _

He's not, but he's close, the knife is poised and it's going in-

The fallen bird looks up as she bursts in, tears streaming down his face. He looks so  _ haggard,  _ so different from the man he'd been- or appeared to be, that last time she'd seen him. The rumpled clothes, skinny frame, clear  _ exhaustion  _ and utter  _ devastation _ in his eyes. Each little detail she registers in that one moment sends spikes of guilt  _ shooting  _ through her.   


“Rob- Night- Dick, whoever you are, I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry, please don't  _ do _ this, you have so much left to live for.”

  
  
He'd looked surprised to her, so astounded in that same moment- but the man had recovered far quicker, pushing the blade to break skin. She edged her way forward slowly, and he tightened his grip in response, she stopped.

Dick laughed bitterly, “I see you were listening,” his voice, cracking. Head nodding toward the device in her hand, “You know, I didn't want to d-do this alone, it seems I'm at- at least getting this one wish. The one who blames me the most, who has every right to, here to talk me out of well deserved penance, because of some twisted s-sense of heroism.”

  
  
She falters, he's right. Of course he is, she doesn't know what she's doing, doesn't know how to do this. The only one who could is- is-

“ _ Please,” _ she says lamely, “that's not true, you know it's not. I- I don't have a right to blame you. You're an amazing person, Dick. You  _ deserve  _ to  _ live _ .”

Even channelling every bit of the Wally she's caught only glimpses of, it doesn't work, he can see right through it. Artemis never had the same  _ feelings,  _ the same  _ sense  _ that Wally had. Her tone wasn't soft, her words weren't right, she was as bad as she'd always known she'd be. He knew it too, those tired, tired eyes looking up at her. Sadness in the lines of his face, and something else- acceptance, the archer realizes, feeling sick. He'd just…given up, and it was all  _ her fault. _

“ _ Sure,  _ a-and Wally didn't?”

“I-” because what is she supposed to say to that?

  
“He d-deserves to be here f-far more than me, everyone knows it. It sh-should have been  _ m-me _ .” His tone is pleading,  _ pleading  _ with her, his words practically an echo to the ones that had been going through her head not twenty four hours before, and she felt so  _ ashamed _ . “I killed the one wh-who kept me alive, a-and I just can't, can't do i-it anymore.”

“Well he's dead! Okay?” It hit her then, really truly hit her. The man was dead, and his one wish is right here, this is her second chance, her  _ last  _ chance. She needs to fix this. “He's gone, and you're not.  _ You  _ can’t do it anymore? You can’t, just keep going,  _ for him? _ Do you know how much he loved you? It didn't matter what you did he still wanted you alive, and he would if he were here, so  _ live.  _ Don’t let his love go to waste.  _ Please _ .”

_ “ _ I’ve lived for his life all these y-years, it’s t-time I died f-for his death too” he’s resigned, content with his decision, as if he’s absolutely positive there’s no other way. Like he’s known he was right all along.  _ But he wasn’t, he’s not, and no one was ever there to tell him. _ _  
  
_

“ _ No, _ Dick. That’s not how it wo-”

_  
_ “I'm s-sorry for Wal-ly, and I- I'm sorry you h-had to be the one t-to see th-th-this, but it's for the b-best, you'll see.” He tries for a smile, it's weak and faint and not really a smile  _ andandandand-  _

“No I won't!” she growls, lunging. 

* * *

  
  


She didn’t make it. Artemis thinks it over and over. Her voice maybe, or was it Wally’s? Or maybe even Dick’s, cold and bitter, telling her she didn’t make it in time. 

Barry had been there, she’d called him with the phone, the one that had been in her hand. Where was it? The phone, the phone, it’s there. Right there, still in her hand. She stares at it, at the way her knuckles clench, white around it’s smooth plastic surface- in fascination. 

Phones, d*** those things. It was their fault, the fault of the little person inside with the heavy,  _ heavy  _ voice. The one filled with so much weight it just wasn’t  _ possible _ , it wasn’t. No, nothing was to blame, it wasn’t the man, wasn’t the  _ thing _ in her hand, it was her.

She was the problem, and now a man, a great, great man was lying in the next room over, dying. The knife had missed his heart, but it’d grazed plenty even if it hadn’t gone as deep as he’d probably wanted. Wanted because of her, because she’d broken her promise, and hadn’t even checked in on him. She had failed, as she always did, messing things up once again. _ You got to him just in time,  _ they said (but I didn’t, I could’ve gone sooner, I didn't),  _ how could he have done this, why would he?  _ They asked (I know, I’ve always known, I’m sorry.) Then, then “you did everything you could.”

There was a weight on her shoulders, a real one. It was grounding and not at the same time, “but I didn’t, I didn’t. I knew, all I along, I promised him, I promised…”

She broke, she sobbed, and she vaguely realized in the back of her mind, that someone was shaking her, yelling something about hyperventilating...

**Author's Note:**

> You guys know I don’t care if any of my fics were posted days or weeks or even years before now when you’re reading this.  
> I predict that I will forever respond to and cherish each and every comment  
> So please do that  
> I’ll respond to them until I literally can’t  
> Okay?  
> Fangirl promise right there  
> Also, anyone else ever have a talk with someone who also claims to like Batman,  
> But they just don’t understand why you like Robin more?  
> And then they’re all like ‘oh, yeah. Dick Grayson, that guy. Who’s Jason Todd?’  
> Like, if you didn’t even know Bruce has an entire batfam  
> You are no fan, amiright?  
> Sorry, rant over  
> If anyone has a good story of misunderstood fan, feel free to share
> 
> Stay whelmed people!  
> -Silver


End file.
